Ghostbusters: Paul Feig defends Leslie Jones on Twitter

Director Paul Feig has some words of support for his Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones.

After Jones mulled quitting Twitter on Tuesday in response to online criticism about her character in the supernatural comedy, Feig tweeted, “Don’t leave us, @Lesdoggg. You are a goddess & one of the warmest funniest forces of nature I know. F‑‑‑ the haters.”

In a follow-up tweet, Feig added, “Attack me all you want but when you attack and insult my cast, you’ve crossed the line. Grow up and leave my cast alone.”

Feig was prompted by a tweet from Jones that said, “I think today will be the day I get rid of Twitter. Gonna really be thinking on it. Not sure I want to need it anymore. Know what I mean?”

Jones, a stand-up comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member, plays an MTA worker named Patty in the new Ghostbusters movie, opposite Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and Kate McKinnon. When the first trailer dropped last week, some observers slammed Jones’ character as stereotypical, noting for example that the three white protagonists are scientists while Patty has a blue-collar background.

At the time, Jones wrote that her character shouldn’t be reduced to a “man, woman, race, class thang. It’s a Ghostbusters thang. And as far as I’m concerned, we all Ghostbusters!! Stand tall!!”

Ghostbusters opens July 15.

And haters, attack me all you want but when you attack and insult my cast, you've crossed the line. Grow up and leave my cast alone.